Apple founder Steve Jobs dies from cancer, aged 56

Apple founder and visionary Steve Jobs died on Wednesday from cancer aged just 56, a premature end for a man who revolutionised modern culture and changed forever the world’s relationship to technology through inventions such as the iPad and iPhone.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,” the California-based gadget-maker said in a statement from its board of directors.

“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

Tributes flowed in from around the world for Jobs, while Apple fans flooded social networking sites to voice their sorrow at the passing of the man who helped put mini-computers in the shape of phones in millions of pockets.

#thankyousteve
Easy access to the internet and to social networking sites has been widely credited for helping spark pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East.

And ordinary people swamped Twitter using the trending hashtag #thankyousteve to pay tribute to Jobs and “for all you have done for this generation”, as one person said in a tweet.

Another called on Jobs to make an “iHeaven to connect us with God”.

Jobs was just 21 when he founded Apple Computer in 1976 with his 26-year-old friend Steve Wozniak in his family garage.

From such humble beginnings the company, with its ubiquitous trademark of an apple with a bite taken out of it, grew to eventually become one of the world’s most valuable companies.

In July, Apple’s second quarter profit hit $7.31-billion on revenue of $28.57-billion.

‘He transformed our lives’
United States President Barack Obama paid tribute on Wednesday evening to one of America’s “greatest innovators”.

“He transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world,” Obama said in a written statement.

Microsoft boss Bill Gates, along with other titans of the high-tech industry agreed.

“The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come,” Gates said in a statement, cited on the Wall Street Journal website.

The two men were rivals in the race to dominate the market at the start of the personal computer era.

But while personal computers powered by Microsoft software ruled work places, Jobs envisioned people-friendly machines with mouse controllers and icons to click on to activate programs or open files.

The spirit of Apple
Tim Cook—who had been handling Apple’s day-to-day operations since Jobs went on medical leave in January, and was made chief executive officer in August after his resignation—led the praise for the Silicon Valley legend.

“Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple,” he said.

Apple turned its homepage into a tribute to Jobs, posting a large black-and-white photo of the bearded high-tech maestro in his trademark black turtleneck and small round glasses.
The only caption: “Steve Jobs, 1955-2011.”

And online search engine giant Google embedded a button on its page with a link directly to the Apple site in tribute.

Jobs’ family also issued a statement, saying he had lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer surrounded by his relatives.

“In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family,” it said.

Apple didn’t fall from the tree
Born on February 24 1955 in San Francisco to a single mother and adopted by a couple in nearby Mountain View at barely a week old, Jobs grew up among the orchards that would one day become the technology hub known as Silicon Valley.

Under Jobs, Apple introduced its first Apple computers and then the Macintosh, which became wildly popular in the 1980s.

He was elevated to idol status by ranks of Macintosh computer devotees, many of whom saw themselves as a sort of rebel alliance opposing the powerful empire Microsoft built with its Windows operating systems.

Jobs left Apple in 1985 after an internal power struggle and started NeXT Computer company specialising in sophisticated workstations for businesses.

He co-founded Academy-Award-winning Pixar in 1986 from a former Lucasfilm computer graphics unit that he bought from movie industry titan George Lucas.

Apple’s lustre faded after Jobs left the company, but they reconciled in 1996 with Apple buying NeXT for $429-million and Jobs ascending once again to the Apple throne.

Strength to strength
Apple went from strength to strength as Jobs revamped the Macintosh line, revolutionising modern culture and launching a “post-PC era” in which personal computers give way to smart mobile gadgets—the iPod, iPhone and the iPad.

His passing will raise doubts over whether the Cupertino, California-based company can continue its dominance in the hugely competitive technology sector.

His death comes only a day after Cook presided over the launch of the new iPhone 4S in a move that failed to dazzle investors. Apple shares dropped more than 4% on Wall Street on Tuesday after the company doused analyst expectations that they would unveil a new iPhone model.

Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene, with whom he had three children. He also had a daughter with a woman he dated prior to marrying.—AFP